Thanks for the Trouble

Greek myth about Orpheus and original Sleeping Beauty story briefly summarized. Some lines of Pablo Neruda poems with translation. Some signs in American Sign Language described. Brief information about the French artist Seurat, pointillism, trompe l'oeil, and other paintings given. Some San Francisco points of interest, including facts about the Legion of Honor art museum, especially its Skinner pipe organ.

Parker Santé, 17, starts out without ambition and without any real friends. He hangs out in hotel lobbies and steals things people accidentally leave behind and justifies it with sophomoric arguments about how they don't really need their luxury items. Zelda (an older teen) is a great role model for being open to life's possibilities and for taking the trouble to really help others. She helps Parker mature into someone who wants to be better. Parker's mother is a strong, loving presence but is mired in the past and exhibits alcoholic tendencies.

Older teens kiss, undress, and get in bed together in their underwear. It's mentioned afterward that they had sex, but the sex isn't described. Teens talk about who was their "first." They swim naked; no body parts are described. "Wet dream" is used as an analogy. Joking references to the rhythm method of birth control and masochists. Internet pornography mentioned.

Wide variety of TV shows, video games, mall stores, tech products, alcohol brands mentioned to establish character or mood.